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Surprising Spots Germs Hide in Restaurants

Melissa Willets

About the Author

Melissa Willets is a mom of three girls, one of whom is a newborn. She writes about pregnancy, parenting, home, health, and beauty. She loves running and drinking red wine - but never simultaneously.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

ABC News went undercover to examine the spots with the most germs in restaurants and what it found will surprise and alarm you as a parent. No, the bathroom was not the yuckiest spot by a long shot. Let's just say I'll think twice the next time my tot puts a menu in her mouth, even for a second.

Of the ten restaurants tested in three states, ABC News correspondent Elisabeth Leamy determined that the ickiest samples came from surfaces other than the handles of bathroom doors and sink faucets. The reason? Typically restaurant workers will clean these surfaces. What they may overlook in their sanitizing ritual are menus, seats, and (gag) the rim of the glass you or your kiddo is drinking out of.

The glasses tested revealed several types of bacteria, which is enough to convince me that everyone in my family should use straws the next time we dine out. Another surface Leamy found to be shockingly germy was the table. Apparently, her investigation uncovered that parents are changing their babies' diapers right there where people eat! Who are these parents and why, oh why would you do this?

The menus tested contained staph and strep bacteria — I swear I will sanitize every menu my kids come in contact with from this moment on — while the seats had no fewer than 17 strains of bacteria on them.

As a germaphobe mom to begin with, this new information is more than enough to convince me that I am not being cautious enough when I take my kids to a restaurant. I have them wash their hands before we eat and sometimes I wipe down a grime encrusted tabletop, but perhaps we should be pulling on our HAZMAT suits before we eat. Okay, that may be going a bit far, but I plan to spend at least 20 minutes sanitizing our table and seats before we sit down.

Does this information about the germs found in restaurants change your view of eating out?